Audit Report on "The Department's Management of the ENERGY STAR Program" Page: 4 of 13
This report is part of the collection entitled: Office of Scientific & Technical Information Technical Reports and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
double the amount of energy than it had claimed. In November 2008, the Department announced a
settlement agreement that required one manufacturer to voluntarily and temporarily withdraw non-
compliant models from the ENERGY STAR Program and to:
" Offer consumers a free in-home modification of the refrigerators to improve their energy
efficiency;
" Pay consumers for the cost difference between the assumed average energy use of the
products and the amount stated on the original ENERGY STAR label; and,
" Remove unsold models from retailer stocks and modify them to ensure that they satisfy
obligations of the agreement before being sold.
The Department was pursuing additional testing data for the second manufacturer's refrigerator
model at the time of our review. This will lead to decisions as to available remedies.
Monitoring the Use of the ENERGY STAR Label
The Department had committed to more effective monitoring of the use of the ENERGY STAR
label. Specifically, in 2007, the Department expressed its intent to ensure proper use of the
ENERGY STAR label by conducting retail assessments and reviewing advertisements. Yet, at
the time of our audit, it had not implemented the needed improvements. In particular, we noted
that the Department relied on retail assessments conducted by EPA to ensure the proper use of
the ENERGY STAR label. We found, however, that the scope of EPA retail assessments was
limited to only five of the Department's eight product categories-compact fluorescent lighting,
clothes washers, dishwashers, room air conditioners, and refrigerators. The remaining product
categories, including windows/doors/skylights, water heaters, and solid-state lighting, had not
been reviewed. Although water heaters and solid-state lighting are relatively new product
categories, the Department had not yet made arrangements to include these two product
categories in future assessments.
In addition, the extent of monitoring of the ENERGY STAR label in the marketplace upon which
the Department relied to ensure proper use of the label had decreased since 2001. Specifically,
the number of manufacturers' products selected for review in each category had declined from
four in its first round of testing in 2001 to only one in a round of testing performed in a 2008
assessment, according to information published by EPA. Despite the decline in the number of
manufacturers' products reviewed in the market assessments, the Department had not acted to
expand the number of its products by implementing its own assessment program.
Finally, the Department had not ensured final resolution of labeling violations identified during
EPA's retailer assessments. The Department assisted EPA in resolving potential violations
identified during retail assessments. After each assessment, EPA provided the Department with
a list of products that were potentially mislabeled as ENERGY STAR. The Department
researched product databases, removed products determined to be correctly labeled from the list,
and returned questionable items to EPA for resolution. The Department, however, did not follow
up with EPA to ensure final resolution and, where appropriate, removal of ENERGY STAR
labels from non-qualified products. After the 2008 retail assessment, for example, the
Department sent EPA information noting four potential instances of non-qualified refrigerators
3
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
Audit Report on "The Department's Management of the ENERGY STAR Program", report, October 1, 2009; United States. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc935142/m1/4/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.